


Do It All The Time

by robinrunsfiction



Category: I Don't Know How But They Found Me (Band)
Genre: Con Artist AU, F/M, Gunshot Wounds, TW: Blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23353957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinrunsfiction/pseuds/robinrunsfiction
Summary: Dallon is a successful con artist when he finally meets his match, but are they meant to be? And what happens when federal agents start trying to track them down?
Relationships: Dallon Weekes/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Do It All The Time

##  **Present**

Dallon sighed, looking into the half empty glass before him. He knew he shouldn’t have picked this hotel. There were dozens of equally plush hotels in town he could have checked into, but he went against his better judgement and picked this one. The bar was fairly crowded and normally he would have been scanning the crowd, but he didn’t have it in him today, it wasn’t like he was going to be in town long enough to really get something started anyway. Then cutting through the din was a laugh he hadn’t heard in years.

He cautiously turned his head, following the sound. The hair was different, but he would recognize that smile until the day he died, and knowing her, she would probably be smiling over him when it happened.

He must have stared too long because she spotted him, a knowing look drawing over her face, and she was saying something to the man she was with. Then she was getting up and coming his way. Dallon quickly downed the rest of his drink as she made her way toward him. But as she approached she said nothing and nodded toward the bathrooms. Dallon waited a beat before following and finding her waiting in the corridor. 

“(YN), wha-”

“Come on,” she interrupted his pleasantries, grabbing the lapel of his jacket and pulling him after her into the men’s room and locking the door behind him.

“After all this time you think you can just pull me around like that?” Dallon objected, smoothing his jacket.

“Would you shut up? This is serious.” Dallon snapped his mouth shut hearing her tone. “That man I was talking to at the bar is a federal investigator Dallon. He works large scale fraud and financial crimes cases.”

“Does he know who you are?”

“I’m not sure. He sat down next to me, but that doesn’t mean much,” she replied smugly, letting her vanity slip through.

“Did he mention me, or us?” The last word felt out of place

“Not specifically. I asked what he did and he said he was an investigator, and he knew there were some people who frequented this hotel that he was hoping to speak with regarding an ongoing investigation. So I started flirting with him and changed the topic to keep him off our trail.”

“Our trail, there hasn’t been an our-”

The bathroom door rattled and then a knock. “Hey, is anyone in there?”

“One second,” (YN) replied breathlessly. She reached up and ruffled Dallon’s hair, unbuttoning the top couple buttons of his shirt before leaning up and kissing him.

“Room 543,” she whispered as she reached up and smudged the lipstick that she left on Dallon’s lips.

Dallon stood stunned as she ruffled her own hair, adjusted her skirt so it was askew before unlocking and opening the door, giving a wink to the poor old man waiting to use the facilities. 

~

Dallon went back up to his room to collect his thoughts before going to (YN)’s room. Was this investigator really after him? Had he really slipped up that badly somewhere along the way? Or was (YN) just messing with his head?

He had wiped off her lipstick before he left the bathroom, but the feeling still lingered as he walked the long silent hallway to her room. He tried to justify it away, that it was just a distraction technique. But that didn’t mean he didn’t miss how it felt.

“I thought you’d forgotten about me,” she said, opening the door for him when he arrived.

“Like that would happen,” he replied. Now that they were truly in private, he could take her in. Gone was the slinky black dress, and instead she wore a loose t-shirt and the pair of sweatpants he was certain he had lost.

A coy smile played across her lips as she hummed in agreement before sitting on the bed. “We really do need to figure out if they’re after us. Well, you more than me.”

“The last time I saw you, you walked away with half the money,” Dallon replied as he sat down across the room in the sleek leather chair that was more for aesthetic than comfort.

“Anyway,” she started, disregarding his comment, “I sent out a couple emails and I’m still waiting to hear back if anyone knows anything,” she said gesturing to her laptop in front of her.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

“I needed to get away from the snow,” she replied simply. “You?”

“I needed a change of scenery too.”

“That’s what makes all of this seem so strange. Did you make a reservation under your name?”

“No, Maxwell Abbott.”

“Have you been using that alias a lot lately? Maybe someone put it together.”

“Or maybe your parents finally told someone that you’ve been cut off for years and they got suspicious since you’ve been living like this for how long now?”

“Hey, don’t give me attitude! I am the only one you can trust to help you.”

Dallon scoffed, getting out of the chair. “I can trust you? You walked out on me.”

“Walked out?! You made it clear that you wanted to-” (YN) was interrupted by a dinging notification from her computer.

“Is it information?” Dallon asked, striding across the room to look at the screen.

“Hang on,” (YN) replied, switching tabs. “No, just a shipping notification,” she replied, minimizing the window, before quickly opening it back up when she realized what was on her screen.

“What’s that?” Dallon asked with a smirk.

“Stop it,” she snapped, trying to close her computer, but he had a hold of it already.

“Is that us?”

“Yea, in St. Lucia,” she smiled wistfully then glanced up, realizing how close he was to her.

“After all these years, you still have a photo of us as your computer background?”

“I look good in it,” she retorted.

“Mmm, I think we both look good in it,” he replied.

“You aren’t wrong,” she breathed as he began to lean closer to her.

“Hey (YN)?”

“Hmm?”

“Are those my pants?”

“If you want ‘em back, take 'em.”

He smirked again before closing the distance between them. (YN) leaned back on the bed, never breaking the kiss as he climbed over her. Just like always with (YN) and Dallon it was a back and forth, a struggle to control the situation until one of them relented.

(YN) was the one who gave in this time, but was rewarded by Dallon moving to kiss down her jaw to her neck, to the spot that always made her melt. She couldn’t help but let out a gasp when he felt him leaving a mark on her neck. Then she felt his hands on the hem of her shirt and she sat up to let him pull it off. In that moment their eyes connected and they both realized how much was left unsaid between them.

Their lips crashed back together as (YN) fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, pushing it off before pulling him against her as his hands roamed over the familiar territory of her body. She didn’t realize how badly she missed this; the feeling of him on her, the way his hands felt against her skin, the way they moved together, knowing exactly what the other needed without saying it aloud, the look in his eye when he rested his forehead against hers after coming undone.

“Looks like we’re in this together again,” Dallon chuckled after a few minutes of silence only interrupted by their panting breath.

“Why am I not surprised.”

##  **Flashback**

(YN) walked into the crowded bar and evaluated the crowd. A lot of businessmen, they always seemed to get too drunk and expected something in return for an overpriced drink, and therefore rarely worth her time, then some older couples, which were completely useless to her. Then she spotted him. Seemingly alone, no ring, tall, handsome as hell, well dressed, this could work.

“Hi,” she smiled up at him as she slid onto the stool next to him.

“Hello,” he smiled back, curiously. 

“Do you know what’s good here?”

The man threw back the rest of his drink as the bartender approached. “Two old fashioneds for me and my friend.”

The bartender nodded and turned to make the drinks. “Thank you!” She cooed. “I’m (YN).”

“Maxwell Abbott,” he smiled back as the bartender returned with their drinks.

“So Maxwell, what do you do?”

“Investment banking,” he replied.

She hummed as she smiled, taking a sip of her drink. She eyed him up and down, something was off. “Sounds important.”

Dallon shrugged and smirked. “Keeps me busy. What about you?”

“I travel.”

“For a living?”

“Yea, I’m a contributing writer for a few travel websites.”

“That sounds like the perfect life,” he replied.

“It really is,” she gushed. “I’m going to St. Lucia in a couple days, it’s beautiful this time of year.”

“Is that so?” He asked, leaning in closer to her. “I bet it’s nothing compared to you.”

(YN) felt her heart hammering in her chest. This is not what this was supposed to be, this was supposed to be a few free drinks. “Have you never been?” She asked, placing her hand on his arm.

“No, not yet. I don’t get to travel much.”

“Aren’t you traveling now? Or do you just like hanging out in hotel bars?”

“True, I am traveling now,” he laughed.

“Well you should go as soon as possible, before it gets too crowded.”

“I think you could teach me a thing or two,” he smiled and her heart started hammering again.

“That sounds like it might be a great idea,” she replied, taking a sip of her drink.

“So do you travel alone?”

She nodded. “It’s easier than trying to coordinate schedules with someone else and I don’t have to worry about their opinions or plans.”

“What do you think of this hotel?”

“It’s one of my favorites. Luxurious, but in an understated, modern way. And it always has the most interesting guests,” she said as she placed her hand on his arm again and met his eyes. “I always have a good time here.”

He nodded in understanding as he leaned in toward her. “Do you know if there’s a lot of differences between rooms?”

“We could find out,” she replied with a hint of a smirk as she leaned in as well.

Their lips met briefly for a moment and they pulled back, searching the other’s face for a hint of hesitancy. Seeing none, his lips pressed back against hers with a passion that took her off guard for a moment before she placed her hand on the back of his neck, taking control of the situation, deepening the kiss.

Before either of them could realize what they were doing, they were leaving the bar, bill unpaid. When they got in the elevator, he backed her into the corner. He wanted to regain control of the situation; he wanted to be in control of every situation he was in, but it was very clear that (YN) had no intention of giving in to him. She bit her lip as he loomed over her before he grabbed her hip, and pulled her to him. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms over his shoulders as he kissed her again.

The elevator doors opened on his floor and he took her hand and led her to his room. When he got the door unlocked, he backed her against the desk, kissing down her neck as she let out a gasp. She pushed off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt as his hands traveled down to her thighs, pushing her skirt up before picking her up and carrying her to the bed, dropping her into the soft linens. She let out a giggle of delight as he climbed over her, pulling up her dress as he went. She felt a jolt of confidence as he gasped lightly at her in nothing but her lace lingerie.

“Like a work of art,” he murmured under his breath.

She laughed lightly and reached out for his belt, eventually tossing aside the rest of his clothes. (YN) marveled at him the same way he admired her before pushing him over and straddling his hips. Still they fought for control of the situation as she kissed him deeply and bit his lip, but he held her hips tight.

“You think you’re in charge here?” He asked as she peppered kisses down his neck.

“Mmhmm,” she murmured.

(YN) couldn’t see his smirk as he rolled her off him, eliciting a yelp of surprise as he pinned her wrists above her head. “How about now?” He asked with a devilish grin that made her giddy.

~

“Can I guess something about you?” She asked after they had both regained their breath and composure a while later.

“Sure, why not,” he said rolling over on his side to look at her, propping his head up on his hand.

“You aren’t an investment banker,” she said simply.

“What?” He asked sitting up, looking down at her confused. 

“I live in New York, I know investment bankers, a lot of them, and you are not one.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You let me talk about myself,” she replied with a smile and he laughed. “So drop the act and tell me straight, what con are you running.”

“You’re calling me a con artist?” He asked, not even trying to sound offended as (YN) nodded. “Takes one to know one.”

“Your right it does, so spill, starting with the name.”

He smiled and shook his head. “My name is Dallon. Dallon Weekes.”

“That’s so much cooler than Maxwell Abbott!” She exclaimed.

"Exactly why I don’t use it! People remember it.”

“So by investment banking, you mean you get people to invest in some bogus venture and you skip away with the money?”

Dallon shrugged while looking smug. “What about you?”

(YN) scrunched up her face like she was thinking then slid out of bed, putting her clothes back on. “You know my name, you know where I’m from and what I do. How about the next time you find me, I’ll tell you all the rest of my secrets.”

“That hardly seems fair,” he retorted.

“Life isn’t fair Dallon. I really like that name, it’s so cool. And,” she said climbing back onto the bed toward him, “I like you.” She pressed a kiss against his lips again. “I’ll see you around,” she said as she hopped off the bed and out the door.

Dallon laid back, totally stunned and maybe a little in love.

##  **Present**

“Are you really gonna take back your sweatpants? Because they’re the most comfortable thing I own,” (YN) asked as she pulled her t-shirt back on.

“You own?” He laughed.

“Possession is nine tenths of the law,” she shrugged.

Dallon ran his hand through his hair. “Keep ‘em.”

(YN) grinned like she just won a prize as she climbed back into the bed next to Dallon. “So did you mean it?”

“What?” He asked, glancing over at her.

“When you said you’d wouldn’t be able to forget me,” (YN) said softly.

“Yea,” he replied. “It really fucked me up when you left.”

(YN) sighed. “You didn’t want to be together and I understood that, it was too risky, so I took my share and left. I thought that’s what you wanted.“

"That’s not what… I mean,” he groaned and ran his hands over his face while he tried to put the words together. “I didn’t know what I wanted and I sure as hell didn’t know what you wanted.”

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re here now.”

Dallon turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“Not a single day has gone by that I haven’t thought about you. It killed me to walk away, but now we’re back in this together… well I feel like there’s something to that.”

“To us?” The words felt less foriegn on his tongue than they did just hours ago.

(YN) nodded. “Yea.”

Dallon reached over and let his fingers graze over her cheek as she looked into his eyes. She was always trying to be one step ahead of everyone and so rarely let down her guard, but now she had again. He hadn’t seen the sadness and loneliness in her in so long and seeing it now broke his heart.

“I still think about you every day too, and not just because you fucked me up,” he said barely above a whisper. He leaned in and let his lips meet her’s gently. The tenderness of the kiss was too much for her, tears forming behind her closed eyes. When he pulled back, she wiped her eyes quickly and he pulled her so she was resting her head on his chest. 

“I should check my email to see if anyone knows anything about that investigator.”

“Nah, let’s worry about that in the morning,” he said pressing a kiss to the top of her head and she sighed, giving in this time.

~

"Yvonne, my friend at the New York DA’s office hasn’t heard anything,” (YN) announced when Dallon came out of the shower the next morning.

“You have a friend at the DA’s office?”

“Yea, we go way back,” (YN) replied nonchalantly. 

“And that’s safe?”

(YN) looked up at him and rolled her eyes. “How long have I been doing this? And I’ve never once ran into trouble until now.”

Dallon ran his hand through his wet hair. “I think we should try to pretend like nothing is going on, so don’t check out early. I’m going out west tomorrow, we could meet up in a few days.”

“Sounds good to me,” (YN) shrugged. “Anyway, I was gonna spend the day down by the pool, and I really didn’t intend on changing my plans.”

Dallon nodded as he got dressed. “Maybe I’ll see you down there,” he said leaning down to kiss her. 

“Mmhmm, but don’t be obvious that we know each other, that might tip someone off if they’re looking for us,” she said when she pulled back.

“Oh, right,” he nodded trying not to sound disappointed.

“I’m not trying to push you away, I’m just trying to look out for us.”

“I know.”

“We’ll reconnect tonight, maybe go out or something?” She suggested. “And here,” she said, getting up, and giving him one of her room keys.

“Good idea,” he reached in his pocket and gave her one of his in return. He turned to leave but paused. “(YN),” he started.

“Yea?” She asked looking up from her computer.

“See ya later,” he waved and she gave him a smile before he let himself out. He wanted to tell her that he was so happy to have her back in his life, even though it was all a mess. He wanted to say let’s just run away together and pretend this wasn’t happening. But most of all he wanted to tell her that he loved her.

##  **Flashback**

Dallon stretched out on the lounge chair next to the pool. Even though night was falling, the Carribean air was still warm and humid. He was finally starting to relax after arriving late due to his flight being delayed. He hated that, it reminded him how out of control he was, and that made him uncomfortable. 

His attention was caught by a drunk man who seemed to have lost control of the volume of his voice. He glanced over and couldn’t believe his eyes. It was (YN) helping the drunk man back inside the resort from the outdoor bar. (YN), feeling eyes on her, glanced Dallon’s way and shot him a grin before heading inside.

Dallon’s heart sank. Just because he had hooked up with her one night didn’t mean anything, she could be with a different person every night, she had the right. But there was no denying she had been on his mind since she walked out of his hotel room. He had come to St. Lucia hoping to run into her since she had promised to tell him all her secrets, but maybe that was all a lie. Life wasn’t fair she told him. That was the truth.

“Hi Dallon." 

He was snapped from his thoughts and looked up. (YN). "You’re right, St. Lucia is beautiful this time of year.”

“But not as beautiful as me, right?” She smirked, sitting on a chair next to him.

“Very true,” he smiled and she rolled her eyes. “Who’s the drunk? I also don’t remember you being that quick when we-”

“Shut up,” she said leaning over to slap his arm. “Did you really come all the way down here to find me?”

“I believe there was a promise of secrets being shared. You got the jump on me, I’m just trying to make it even.”

She scoffed. “The jump? Please! All I got was your name, you gave up the rest on your own.”

It was Dallon’s turn to roll his eyes. “You said if I found you, you’d tell me.”

“Fine, you wanna know what happened with that guy?” She said, gesturing back to the resort.

Dallon sat up straighter, nodding, as she leaned in. 

“He came up to me in the bar and he was already lit. The first thing I noticed was he’s married, I mean he’s still wearing his wedding ring, so he obviously has no shame. He was talking big, flashing his cash, so I asked him to buy me a drink. He ordered one for each of us, and then a few more, but I didn’t drink more than one, I kept pouring mine in his glass when he wasn’t looking. When he’s barely able to stand, I suggested we should go up to his room. He passed out as soon as he got the door open so I helped myself to his credit card number, his wife’s email and phone number, and wrote him a nice little note reminding him of all the terrible, filthy, things he said he wanted to do to me and letting him know that I would not hesitate to let his poor wife know what a scumbag he is if he should cancel or dispute any unknown charges his credit card anytime soon.”

Dallon sat back and let out a laugh. “You blackmail unloyal men to get what you want?”

“I currently have four funding my lifestyle on a long term basis, and a few others, like my friend upstairs, that I’ll hit up for a while, just to keep them on their toes. I let them go after a while.”

“Wait, did you have me as a mark the night we met?”

“Not really, I just thought you were good looking,” she shrugged.

“Thought?” He smirked. “Did you change your mind?”

“No, I confirmed it.”

He grinned in response. “Do you wanna get a drink?” He asked nodding toward the bar.

“Nah, I’ve had enough for the night. Wanna go for a walk?”

Dallon was surprised by this suggestion. “Yea, ok,” replied getting up.

The waves broke softly along the shore as they walked through the sand. Neither had said anything for some time and the silence was frustrating him.

“How’d you end up with four different men financing you?” He asked out of the blue.

(YN) sighed. “When I turned 17 I was interning at my Dad’s law firm, just doing filing and things like that because my parents wanted me to become a lawyer and wanted me in that environment as much as possible. One of the partners heard it was my birthday and apparently thought I was turning 18, not 17, so he sent me a really inappropriate email. This was all before Me Too and he thought it was ok. I marched right into his office and told him that he was sexually harassing a minor and I could have him disbarred and thrown in jail. He offered to basically put me on a weekly allowance to buy my silence. I was young and stupid so I went for it.”

“Damn,” Dallon muttered. “I’m really sorry.”

(YN) shrugged. “I used all my newfound money and kinda turned into a party girl. I went to Columbia, but never took my LSAT and when my parents found out I wasn’t going to law school, they cut me off. The thing is, they were so embarrassed they never told anyone what happened so no one questioned how I was living. But I realized there were plenty of old creeps with status and big bank accounts that I could-”

“Blackmail?”

“That always sounds harsh,” she laughed darkly, looking up at Dallon. He could see the sadness in her eyes. “But I’ve matured, gotten smarter, and I’ve got a really solid savings built up because eventually those old bastards are gonna start to croak and I have to be prepared and writing won’t cut it.” (YN) sighed, “But now you know every dirty detail. Happy?”

Dallon stopped walking and turned to look at her. “When was the last time you opened up like that?”

“Never,” she laughed lightly.

“Why me?”

“You actually asked.”

##  **Present**

(YN) settled into a lounge chair with her book and a drink. She wore her dark sunglasses and spent as much time watching the people around the pool as she did reading her book.

A while later a familiar tall, lanky figure sat down in a chair directly across from her. She lowered her glasses and shot him a smile that he returned. She went back to reading until she noticed someone sit down on the chair next to her. She glanced over at the man who seemed overdressed to be next to a pool.

"Hello again,” he said. “We met last night at the bar.”

“Oh hey!” She said setting down her book. She wanted to signal to Dallon, but wasn’t sure how to do it subtly. “It was Agent Brandon right?”

“Brendon Urie, with the FBI, yes,” he smiled. She noticed the smile seemed genuine as it reached all the way up to his eyes.

“Did you ever find those people you were looking for? To interrogate or whatever?”

He shook his head. “I can’t discuss ongoing investigations.”

“Oh right,” she smiled. “I don’t know how any of that kinda thing works.”

“All for the better, you wouldn’t want to be mixed up with criminals.”

She nodded. “So do you normally hang out at pools in a full suit?” She giggled, reaching over to touch the sleeve of his suit jacket.

“Only when I’m on the clock,” he smiled, but something felt off to (YN). 

“Well maybe if you tell me what kind of people you’re looking for and give me your number I could let you know if I see them around.”

He nodded as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a business card and started scribbling down information on the back. “If you have any information, or even if you don’t, don’t hesitate to call,” he said, handing her the card before getting up and flashing her another smile as he walked away.

She flipped over the card as he walked away to read the descriptions and swallowed hard. Other than her hair color that she had changed recently, the description was definitely her and the description of the male was obviously Dallon. She stuck the card in between the pages of her book and glanced across the pool at Dallon. He was talking with a leggy blonde in a tiny bikini. (YN) rolled her eyes and went back to her book, but occasionally peeked at Dallon across the way.

(YN) was not the type to get jealous, she prided herself on her ability to make others jealous of her, but she felt a pang of envy at the girl who had captured Dallon’s attention. Sure it was her idea to stay apart, but not all her ideas were perfect and she had bigger things to worry about.

As the afternoon sun began to dip in the sky, she grabbed her things and headed back up to her room with one last glance back at Dallon. He was on his phone and didn’t seem to notice her leaving. When she got back to her room, she had a new text notification.

“Dinner reservations at 7 PM,” Dallon’s text read, with a link to the restaurant.

(YN) smiled and went to pick something to wear.

##  **Flashback**

(YN) was in her apartment, working on an article when her phone rang and she saw it was Dallon. It had been a few months since they met and then when they met up again in St. Lucia. After they reunited, (YN) had quietly checked out of her room in the resort and moved into Dallon’s suite where she spent the rest of her time in St. Lucia. Since then, they had kept in touch, but hadn’t seen each other in person. She smiled as she answered. “Dallon.”

“What are you up to (YN),” he asked and she could hear the smirk through the phone.

“Working for a good honest living, something you know nothing about.”

“Ouch. Well I’m in town, wanna take a break tonight and get dinner?”

“You know I’m never going to turn down a free meal,” she laughed. “When are you picking me up?”

“I’m already on my way.”

Dallon arrived shortly after and they headed to a quiet little restaurant that she knew had a long waitlist for reservations, but (YN) didn’t question how they were immediately seated.

“Come to Palm Springs with me,” Dallon said suddenly after the waiter left with their orders.

“Why?” She said, narrowing her eyes at him as she took a sip of her drink.

“I have a meeting with a new potential investor and I feel like I could use some back up, someone clever like you.”

(YN) couldn’t help but smile. “When would we leave?” She asked, glancing at the snow that had started falling heavier since they arrived.

“Next weekend,” Dallon replied. “Plenty of time for you to familiarize yourself with everything, I’ll send the information over tonight.”

“And I’ll send you the link for the cutest little pink dress I found at Stella McCartney today,” she grinned.

Dallon rolled his eyes and sighed, but couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “Deal.”

~

The following weekend, Dallon and (YN) boarded an early flight to California. They settled into their business class seats, and Dallon put on headphones as (YN) started to read the book she had brought along.

Dallon stared out the window, watching the earth pass below them. He had spent a long time preparing for this job. He had found his mark months before at a cocktail party that he had crashed and had started developing a plan for how he could extract the most cash possible. If there was one thing Dallon understood, it was how to listen to people, make them feel important, and then use that to his advantage to get what he wanted. That was the thing that was different with (YN); he didn’t want to use her, he respected her. She was smart, clever, and resourceful. Her feisty personality drew him in, and kept him in his place and the chemistry between them was intense. 

Just then he felt something against his shoulder. He glanced over and found (YN) had fallen asleep against him. He smiled softly. It wasn’t like him to get attached to anyone, but since the night that she walked into his life he felt like he might have finally met his match. He resisted the urge to press a kiss onto the top of her head and let her sleep instead.

After landing, they drove out to the hotel they would be staying at for this initial visit.

“Checking in,” Dallon smiled at the woman working at the front desk. (YN) suppressed her amusement at the woman’s flustered expression when she looked up. She couldn’t blame her, Dallon’s grin could do that to anyone.

“What’s the name?”  
“Two rooms under Winston Donahue.”  
“Adjoining rooms correct?” She asked, glancing between Dallon and (YN).

“That’s correct.”

“Well if you need anything at all, my name is Kim, please feel free to let me know,” she said, handing them their room keys and (YN) couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she walked away.

“You gonna need anything Winston?” (YN) asked in a sarcastically seductive voice as they waited for the elevator.

“Nah, I think I’ve got everything I’ll need,” he smiled back at her and (YN) rolled her eyes again as she boarded the elevator.

“The meeting is at 7 PM, so we need to leave by 6:45,” (YN) said looking at her phone.

“So we have a few hours,” Dallon responded, matching her suggestive tone from moments before as they stepped off the elevator.

“I thought we were keeping things professional,” (YN) replied.

“Right, of course,” Dallon replied, putting his hand up defensively as they made their way to their rooms. “I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

Dallon started unpacking his suitcase and considered jumping into the shower to freshen up from the flight when he heard a knock on the door between his room and (YN)’s. He answered the door without a thought, but was completely caught off guard when he saw (YN) standing on the other side in nothing but lacy lingerie.

“I thought we were keeping things professional,” he finally choked out.

“Ok, fine,” (YN) shrugged, stepping back to close the door on her side.

“Wait,” Dallon said, reaching out to hold the door open.

“Hmm?” She hummed innocently.

“Get in here,” he said grabbing her hand and pulling her into his room.

~

“Lawrence,” Dallon greeted an older man with a hearty handshake. The restaurant that he had selected for this meeting was an upscale steakhouse, which didn’t surprise (YN) in the least given what she ascertained about him. She gave him a once over and immediately recognized by the way he carried himself that if she was meeting him in different circumstances, she would have made him a mark herself.

“Winston good to see you again,” Lawrence replied. “And this is your associate?”

“Yes, Anna, this is Lawrence Hall. Lawrence, this is my legal advisor, Anna Williams,” Dallon introduced (YN) with her fake name.

“Nice to meet you,” she said with a strong handshake and the most charming smile she could muster. She could immediately tell she had won him over. 

“Nice to finally meet you as well,” he smiled. “Let’s get started.”

Over dinner, Dallon launched into his impassioned speech about the music and arts foundation he was supposedly establishing. He described in such detail the location he had picked, and the plans already in the works, for a moment (YN) almost forgot that he wasn’t being honest, and that the plan was actually just to line their pockets.

“I think you have a great plan,” Lawrence replied. “If that tax exempt status comes through, we can get the paperwork signed and move forward. I have to fly out for some meetings tomorrow morning, but we can meet again in a few weeks, and get everything finalized.”

“That should work for me. Anna?”

“I might have to move a few things around, but it shouldn’t be a problem,” (YN) replied.

“Perfect!” Lawrence said as the waiter returned to the table with the check. Dallon reached into his suit pocket for his wallet, but Lawrence grabbed the check first. “Nonsense Winston, let me take care of this.” Dallon glanced over at (YN) and they exchanged knowing looks.

Everything was working exactly to plan.

~

Dallon felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. “Hey Ryan.”

“Hey, where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in forever!” His friend greeted him.

“I’ve been really busy with this project,” Dallon said as he wandered out onto his room’s balcony overlooking the pool.

“Oh, I see. Where are you?”

“Palm Springs right now.”

“Business or pleasure?”

“A little of both,” Dallon smiled as he spotted (YN) sunbathing poolside. He leaned against the balcony railing feeling the California sunshine warming his face.

“You got some help with this one?” Ryan asked, amused by his friend. “I thought you only worked alone.”

“I needed some assistance to give myself more credibility.”

“How hot is she?” Ryan asked, and Dallon just sighed in response. “You know you’re gonna have to cut her loose after you’re done, right?”

“Why?” Dallon asked slowly, straightening up.

“People are gonna catch on to Bonnie and Clyde. When it’s just you, you can disappear, when it’s two or more people working together repeatedly, that stands out. I thought that’s what you always said.”

Dallon was stunned. He and Ryan had worked together before, but when his friend asked for help again, he told him he couldn’t risk it, but he hadn’t even thought about what would happen after that night. His heart started hammering in his chest and he felt ill. 

“Dallon, you there?” Ryan’s voice on the other end of the phone cut through the noise in his head.

“Yea, yea I am. And you’re right. We were just having fun anyway, nothing serious.”

“You could always retire,” Ryan suggested. “Find a nice little place to settle down with your girl, go off the grid.”

“I’m not ready for that,” Dallon replied.

“I know you’re not, but let me know how it goes,” Ryan said before they exchanged goodbyes.

Dallon went back into his room and sunk down on his bed, his legs seemingly not wanting to work anymore. It was true that what he and (YN) had wasn’t defined in any way. They were partners in crime. Friends. Friends with intense chemistry. He remembered back to the day when they flew out to Palm Springs the first time, the way her head felt against his shoulder. He remembered the way her body felt against his.

He pressed his hands against his eyes. He hadn’t ever felt this way about someone else before. But in the long run she’d be better off not running cons, he didn’t want that life for (YN). He wanted her to be able to just enjoy traveling and writing and the things she wanted to do. Not looking over her shoulder constantly and using fake names. Dallon loved (YN) and he knew what he had to do for her to live her best life.

~

That night the deal was finalized with Lawrence and $5 million dollars into Dallon’s account. The next morning the transfer cleared, he would transfer half to (YN)’s account. He thanked Lawrence profusely and assured him he would be hearing from him with updates as soon as he could. Despite the significance of the largest con he had ever pulled off, Dallon couldn’t find himself excited after the conversation with Ryan.

(YN) suggested they go out for celebratory drinks afterward, and Dallon agreed. Not that he wanted to celebrate, but because he needed something to take his mind off everything.

“So what’s next for us?” (YN) grinned up at him after they were served.

Dallon’s throat went dry. “Us?”

(YN) tried not to let her face fall at the response. “Yea, do you wanna work together again soon? This was a lot more fun than what I usually do.”

Dallon hated this. He hated that he couldn’t be completely honest with her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Working together too much could raise suspicions.”

“Oh. Yea, that’s true. I get it,” she smiled, but her heart was breaking.

Dallon then felt a pang of disappointment. He wanted to scream 'don’t you care about me? Don’t you want to be with me? I thought there was something between us!’ But he swallowed it down. It was better this way he reminded himself.

When they returned to the hotel, (YN) gave him another smile and congratulations on a job well done before heading into her room. Dallon spent the rest of the night tossing and turning instead of sleeping. He regretted everything and needed to tell (YN) how he felt. He realized he was willing to walk away from this life if it meant being with her. When he stepped out of his room, he was startled to see the cleaning woman coming out of (YN)’s room.

“Excuse me, where is the guest that was in this room?”

“Checked out earlier this morning,” she replied.

Dallon felt sick. He ran a hand through his hair and rushed back into his room and grabbed his phone and called (YN). It went straight to voicemail, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave a message. He had gotten what he said he wanted.

~

The night before when (YN) closed her door behind her, she let her head fall back and sighed. She shouldn’t have been surprised at Dallon’s response. There wasn’t a Valentine’s Day card for what she and Dallon were and the feelings she had developed for him were not his problem. He didn’t owe her anything other than her share of the money and she knew that, but the sooner she could get away, the better. She grabbed her computer and set to work

After a couple hours of sleep, she got up, packed her suitcase and called a car to take her to the airport. No one was going to look out for her in this world, not even the one person she thought might care about her, so she had to do what was best for herself and disappear.

##  **Present**

“Can we talk before we go back to the hotel?” Dallon asked, running his hand through his hair as they stepped out of the restaurant after dinner.

“Sure, there’s a park around the block if you wanna go there?”

“Sounds good.” As they walked, Dallon noticed that (YN) was rubbing her arms and shivering in the quickly cooling night air. “Hang on,” Dallon said, stopping in his tracks and taking off his jacket, wrapping it over her shoulders. “Better?”

“Yea thanks,” she smiled up at him.

When they arrived at the park, there wasn’t anyone else around. They found a bench and sat down.

“I’m flying out to visit my friend Ryan tomorrow, and I know this has been a whirlwind, but I had an idea.”

“What would that be? And remember, you having an idea got a federal agent following us in the first place,” she smirked.

“Marry me.”

“What?” She asked, shocked.

“If we’re married, they can’t force us to testify against each other, if we get caught.”

“Oh. Yea, that’s true,” she replied. Dallon noticed that she sounded disappointed, so he took her hand. He realized if he ever was going to have a real shot with (YN), he had to act now. “And like I said last night, I haven’t been able to keep you off my mind this whole time, I always keep coming back to you, I’m always looking for you,” he paused, looking down nervously before looking back up at her earnestly. “I love you, (YN), since the night we met. There’s no one else for me. I wanted to tell you, but by the time I got my head out of my ass, you were gone.”

(YN) was taken aback. "You’re serious? Oh my god, you’re serious,” her heart was racing as he nodded. “Yes! I love you too, Dallon,” she said as if the words were almost a surprise to her, the smile growing across her face.

Dallon was grinning as well as he grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her deeply. “I don’t have a ring, I mean I wasn’t really expecting to do this today,” he laughed when he pulled back. “You deserve so much better than this.”

(YN) shook her head. “I have you, that’s more than I deserve.”

“Do you wanna go back to the hotel and shop for rings online?” Dallon asked.

(YN)’s face lit up even more. “That sounds like a great plan. And then I have some ideas for after that.”

~

The next morning (YN) boarded the elevator after running down to the hotel cafe for a coffee. Just as the door was about to close, someone rushed up and she pressed the door open button. When she looked up she wished she hadn’t. 

“Agent,” she said politely. 

“Just who I was looking for,” he replied as he pressed the button for the third floor, but his tone of voice had changed from the last time she spoke with him by the pool.

“Oh, why is that?” She asked, turning on the charm as the elevator went up.

“I think you know why,” he answered as the doors opened. “Come with me.”

“I don’t-”

Without saying a word, he opened his suit jacket, displaying the handgun he had holstered. (YN) swallowed hard and stepped off the elevator. She followed him down the hall to his room, trying to keep calm.

“I really think there’s a misunderstanding here sir, I really haven’t done anything wrong,” she said as the door shut behind her.

He turned to a stack of papers in a manila folder on the desk and pulled out a photo of herself and Dallon at a bar in Palm Springs, the night they had finalized the deal with Lawrence. It had been her idea to go there after the deal was finished. Lawrence must have already suspected them if he was already tailing them. “Ms. Williams, isn’t this you and your partner, Winston Donahue, who I have also witnessed at this hotel?”

(YN) was struck by the use of her alias, but maintained her composure. “I’m sure that’s a very good looking couple, but my hair is different than hers and I don’t think a blurry photo and being in the same hotel as some stranger who also might be in a blurry photo is enough to hold me here,” she retorted.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” he said.

“I do not need to be talked to like I’m some kind of criminal,” she said more sternly as she walked back to the door. As her hand reached the handle, she heard the safety of his gun click and her breath caught in her chest. 

“I’m going to need you to back away from the door, ” Brendon said sternly.

“I really think you have me confused with someone else,” she said, trying not to let fear crack through her voice.

“I’m certain I don’t. Now move.”

(YN) turned from the door and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t believe you’re a real federal agent. You would have already charged me if you believed I was guilty of something. If you wanna play lawman, you gotta try harder than this.”

Brendon drew his gun again, anger flashing across his face. “Just get me in contact with your partner.”

(YN) bit her lip. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t know what her next move was. Dallon had no idea where she was, let alone that she was in trouble, real trouble. “I don’t have my phone on me.”

“Seriously?”

(YN) held her hands up. She didn’t have her purse on her, only her room key, and coffee. “Seriously.”

He sighed and went back to his file, and pulled out a sheet. “Here,” he said, handing her the paper that appeared to be a dossier. “Is that the number?”

“I can try it.”

“You’d better,” he snapped.

(YN) kept her eyes on him as she made her way to the room phone. She dialed the number and hoped that Dallon would answer as it rang and rang.

“Hello?”

“Winston, it’s Anna,” (YN) said, hoping he would recognize her voice and realize something was going on.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, instantly concerned.

“Someone needs to talk to you,” she said, before handing the phone to Brendon who was looming over her.

“Winston, I believe you have something I want and I have something you’re gonna want back,” Brendon smirked.

“If you lay a hand on her, you’re a dead man walking,” Dallon snarled back.

“You have 48 hours to bring me $5 million, cash, and Anna walks. And if I don’t get the money, well, I bet you’re gonna wish that you were dealing with the feds. I’ll be in touch.” Brendon said, slamming down the phone.

“How did you even know to come after us?” (YN) asked as Brendon crossed the room.

“Lawrence is a friend of mine. He told me how you conned him out of some serious cash and promised me half if I could get it back for him.”

“Why didn’t you go after Winston in the first place? Why bring me into it?”

“Because when Lawrence was giving me the information, he specifically said Winston seemed totally in love with you, and judging by his response on the phone, he was right.”

~

“Come on, pick up,” Dallon grumbled as he paced the airport terminal, running his hand through his hair.

“Hey, Dal, what’s up?” Ryan said happily when he answered.

“Change of plans. I have a situation.”

“Shit,” Ryan said upon hearing his friend’s tone. “What’s wrong.”

“I’m at the airport, so I can’t explain it all, but I’m gonna need a lot of green.”

“How much?”

“Just get to printing, (YN)’s life is on the line.”

“Wait, (YN), where, when… (YN) is back?!” Ryan stammered.  
“Yea, I’ll explain when I get there, I’ve gotta board my flight now, just get to work!” Dallon shouted before hanging up and rushing to get on the plane.

~

The moon shone down on the beach as Dallon stood waiting where he was instructed. Then he saw two figures walking toward him. When they were close enough, he could see it was (YN) and Brendon, but Dallon had never seen (YN) like that before. The dark circles under her eyes were unmistakable, and unlike her normal confident and carefree demeanor, she appeared broken down. It took a moment for Dallon to realize that Brendon also had a gun pressed to her back. He reached back and pulled out his own weapon and pointed it at Brendon.

“Do you have the money?” Brendon barked. 

“What do you think this is?” Dallon replied, holding up a large metal case.

“Go get it,” Brendon commanded, shoving (YN) forward. Dallon gave her a reassuring smile as she crossed the sand, the sea breeze whipping at her skirt. She took the case with a weary smile in return and carried it back to Brendon. He snatched the case from her hands, and examined the contents. “Get lost,” he growled up at her.

(YN) felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders as she turned around and hurried back to Dallon who still had his gun trained on Brendon. They exchanged relieved smiles when without warning a shot rang out.

Dallon watched as (YN) stopped in her tracks. Her eyes went wide and her smile faded into a look of fear. Dallon rushed to her as she dropped to her knees and tears streamed down her face. He looked at her back and saw the blood spilling from the wound by her shoulder. He glanced up and saw Brendon making his escape.

“I got you (YN), I got you love,” he mumbled as he let her lean against him. “It will be ok, you’ll be ok. I’ll fix this, I’ll fix this.”

~

(YN) woke up to the sun shining into the room. She sighed happily as she felt the breeze off the ocean fill the room, the light curtains billowing gently. She drew in a deep breath and sighed happily. From behind her, Dallon’s strong arm wrapped around her waist pulling her close against him. He trailed kisses starting at the scar on her shoulder, up to her neck. A smile crept across her face as she rolled over and kissed him softly.

“Morning love,” he murmured, his hair falling in his face. (YN) reached up and brushed it away.

“Morning,” she replied, studying his face.

“What?” He laughed lightly.

“I was just wondering how after all the things I’ve done and been through in life, I can still end up like this.”

“Like what?” Dallon asked, running his hand across her back.

“Living in paradise with the most gorgeous, loving husband. It’s more than I could have dreamed of ever having.”

Dallon smiled softly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I think it’s all balanced out in the long run. Besides, I’m the lucky one.”

(YN) grinned at that. “Mmm very lucky indeed.”

After a while longer snuggling, (YN) sat up and grabbed her laptop. The photo in the background had been changed from their first trip to St Lucia, to their wedding day on the same beach, a short walk from the bungalow they now called home.

“Oh, Yvonne emailed me, Brendon is being sentenced today for both charges of passing counterfeit bills and impersonating a federal agent. He’s looking at up to 23 years.”

“Good,” Dallon said resolutely. “I’m always going to be mad we couldn’t get him charged with attempted murder.”

(YN) rolled her eyes as she sat her computer back on the floor. “Dal, we’ve been over this. If we would have led the police to him, he could have been able to pin the counterfeit bills on us, and that would have led back to Ryan too. On top of what we pulled on Lawrence! It’s a small price to pay to live anonymously now. Life isn’t fair.”

Dallon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back down so she was laying on top of him. “I know,” he said, leaning up and kissing her. “All I care about is you’re here and safe with me now.”

“Always,” (YN) smiled before leaning back in and kissing him again.


End file.
